Monday, May 6, 2013

BBQ Review - Blake's Place Cafe and Catering in Anaheim

For the past few weeks I've had a ridiculous craving for BBQ. Not grilled food, mind you... but real BBQ.

Well, yesterday Justin and I were headed out for one of our supercheapDisneydates, and we decided to find some BBQ place to stop at on the way. I jumped on the always amazing internet and looked for a place. Eschewing overpriced chain locales like Lucielle's (don't get me wrong, the food there is really good, but it's also really expensive, and I like to support small, mom and pop businesses when I can). I came across Blake's Place, it was reasonably priced, looked great, and was on our way. We headed out.

Firstly, the place was really difficult to find. Blake's Place is in a commercial center. The address we had was for the catering office, which was close to, but not connected to the actual resturant. But, after circling the center once we found it.

The cafe was really clean, and decorated with Western-y signs. There were also a lot of pictures of Blake, the owners son, playing football and Lacrosse. There were a few people eating inside (there was also a patio with available seating), and during the time we were there little groups of people came and went, but it was never crazy crowded.

The young man who waited on us was super nice and helpful (Justin thought it could have been the eponymous Blake, but I'm not sure). Since we had never been there I asked what he recommended. We ended up with a Beef Brisket sandwich and a Pulled Pork sandwich, and added an order of fries. With 2 drinks added in it was under $25.

Out came a MOUNTAIN of food. The pulled pork sammie was literally over 6" tall, and was served on a huge fresh baked kaiser roll. The Brisket was on a long roll. Both sandwiches had red onion and some really sour dill pickles. The pulled pork was topped with a generous helping of house made cole slaw. I took the small half of the brisket sandwich, and cut about a third of the kaiser roll, giving Justin the lion's share.

The reviews online had raved about the spicy version of Blake's BBQ sauce. Despite the fact that both sandwiches already had their standard sauce on them, I poured on some additional spicy sauce, and I'm so glad I did. The spicy sauce was tangy, vinegary, and sharp. It made my mouth do a little dance. In other words, it was delicious.

The brisket was pure meaty goodness. It was tender and really satisfying. It was Justin's favorite of the two.

My favorite was the pulled pork. It was so tender, it barely required chewing. Mixed with the creamy cole slaw, the sour pickles, and the tangy sauce, it was amazing. I really can't say enough about it.

The fries were pretty legit. I believe they were twice fried, which makes them crispy on the outside and soft and potato-ey on the inside.

I had really hoped to try the banana pudding with vanilla wafers, one of my very favorite desserts from my childhood, but after eating those huge sandwiches we were both just TOO stuffed.

They also feature The Beast Challange... The Beast is a ginormous sandwich featuring pulled pork, pulled chicken, and brisket along with the cole slaw, pickles, onions, and Blake's sauce. If you can finish The Beast in 20 minutes you get a free T-shirt. I couldn't have finished even the regular sandwich in any amount of time, much less 20 minutes.

Blake's Cafe had a very chill, laid back vibe. Everyone was super friendly and helpful, and the food was reasonably priced and amazing. I really like that it's family owned, and that so many things in the menu were made in house. They also have a catering side to the business, so you can have their amazing meat anywhere.

We will definitely be going back to Blake's, and I'm looking forward to
trying that banana pudding, the baked beans (which have chunks of
brisket in them), and the spare ribs. We will probably share one plate
of whatever we decide to order, because we were both just SO full.